[arch-general] What happened to the Beginner's Guide?

[Kyle Terrien]

On Thu, 22 Sep 2016 18:16:27 +1200
Jason Ryan via arch-general <arch-general at archlinux.org> wrote:
> Arch has from the start been clear about its goals and intentions.
> I'll quote from a section of the wiki that people seem much less
> familiar with:
> 
> ”Whereas many GNU/Linux distributions attempt to be more
> user-friendly, Arch Linux has always been, and shall always remain
> user-centric. The distribution is intended to fill the needs of those
> contributing to it, rather than trying to appeal to as many users as
> possible. It is targeted at the proficient GNU/Linux user, or anyone
> with a do-it-yourself attitude who is willing to read the
> documentation, and solve their own problems.”
> https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Arch_Linux#User_centrality
> 
> /J
> 

Yes, several people have quoted "Arch philosophy" for me.  I am
familiar with it.  I read it 3 years ago when I first installed Arch.  I
am also familiar with the fact that there are slightly different
interpretations of it.

For me, the issue is about framing the goal.  If the goal is to
"alienate new users that are unwilling to read man pages", then people
will surely find a way to alienate them.  However, if your goal is to
give people a minimal amount of information and direct them to the man
pages where they can read more, then the wiki will be more inviting.

The difference is all in the framing.  I personally prefer to see the
latter because it is more optimistic and invites those interested to
help with the distro.

--Kyle

-- 
The computer can't tell you the emotional story.  It can give you the
exact mathematical design, but what's missing is the eyebrows.
- Frank Zappa
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